Seattle poised to land non-stop service to Beijing

Seattle could land non-stop air service to and from Beijing next year as demand for flights to and from China grows in anticipation of the 2008 summer Olympics in August 9-21.

"We are working on a couple of different Chinese carriers and have reason to be modestly optimistic that one or the other will initiate service within the next year or so," Mark Reis, managing director of Seattle-Tacoma Airport, said Wednesday in response to an e-mail inquiry.

Various airlines offer non-stop service between Seattle and other Asian cities, but not Beijing or Shanghai in mainland China. United and Northwest fly non-stop between Seattle and Tokyo, Japan; China Air and EVA Airlines fly to and from Taipei, Taiwan; and Korean Air and Asiana fly between Seattle and Seoul, South Korea. Air Canada makes connections from Seattle to Beijing through Vancouver.

Sea-Tac officials have been successful lately in landing new service between Seattle and foreign destinations. Air France started non-stop service to and from Paris in June and Aero Mexico recently added a non-stop to Mexico City.

Carol Pucci: 206-464-3701 or cpucci@seattletimes.com